Infusion pump devices and systems are relatively well known in the medical arts, for use in delivering or dispensing an agent, such as insulin or another prescribed medication, to a patient. A typical infusion pump includes a pump drive system which typically includes a small motor and drive train components that convert rotational motor motion to a translational displacement of a plunger (or stopper) in a reservoir that delivers medication from the reservoir to the body of a user via a fluid path created between the reservoir and the body of a user. Use of infusion pump therapy has been increasing, especially for delivering insulin for diabetics.
Continuous insulin infusion provides greater control of a diabetic's condition, and hence, control schemes are being developed that allow insulin infusion pumps to monitor and regulate a user's blood glucose level in a substantially continuous and autonomous manner. Predictive algorithms may be utilized to provide estimations of the future blood glucose levels as an aid in regulating the blood glucose level. Predicted values may be utilized to notify users of potential hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic events. However, regulating blood glucose level is complicated by variations in the response time for the type of insulin being used along with each user's individual insulin response in conjunction with the variable nature (e.g., in terms of both the quantity and the timing or frequency) of the insulin being infused and the carbohydrates consumed by the user. Thus, while a predicted value may indicate a potential hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic event, in reality, the potential hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic event may be unlikely. In such situations, alerts generated based on predicted values may be non-actionable and of limited utility, which, in turn, can frustrate or annoy users and increase the likelihood that subsequent alerts are ignored or not promptly addressed. At the same time, alerts based solely on currently sensed glucose values may be provided too late to avoid a hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic event.